If you’re a whiz in the kitchen and keen to stir up a new role, your resume needs to be as sharp as your knives.
We’ve cooked up this nifty guide that’ll help you serve up your skills and experience on a silver platter.
Check out our Cook resume example below for a taste of how to whip your own resume into shape!
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Cook Resume Example
This Cook resume example acts as a great guideline for structuring your own.
Its professional format and clear presentation make it an ideal example for creating a smooth reading experience for recruiters.
Next, we’ll break down the steps to develop your own interview-winning Cook resume.
Cook resume structure & format
Resume structure
If you want to bag job interviews, you need to give recruiters the info they want.
These are the key sections you need to include in your resume structure:
- Contact details: Your name and how to get in touch with you.
- Resume summary: A brief summary of your skills and experience – designed to grab recruiters’ attention.
- Core skills: A bullet pointed list of your most relevant Cook skills.
- Work experience: Your recent job history in reverse chronological order.
- Education: A list of your education and qualifications.
- Additional info (optional): Any other information that could sway a hiring decision in your favour (like hobbies and interests).
How to format your Cook resume
Your resume needs to look stylish and professional, whilst being super-easy for time-strapped recruiters to read.
Here’s how to format your resume to achieve both of those goals.
- Resume length: Keep your resume between 1 to 2 pages long because recruiters see tons of resumes every day and only have limited time to read each one.
- Font & colour scheme: Choose a clear and easy-to-read font, steering clear of overly decorative ones that could hinder readability. Stick with a classic black-text-on-white-background for the body of the resume, but don’t shy away from adding a hint of colour elsewhere to make your resume stand out.
- Page layout: Split your page into distinct sections using bold headings or borders, making it easy for readers to locate the information they need at a glance.
- Break text up: Break up text with concise bullet points and brief paragraphs, ensuring busy recruiters can easily absorb the info.
- Photos: Photos are not mandatory in Australia but you can add a small headshot to the top if you like.
Quick tip: Achieving a professional look for your resume can be difficult and time-consuming. If you want to create an attractive resume quickly, try our Resume Builder and use one of our eye-catching professional resume templates.
Contact Details
Being reachable and identifiable is essential for any job seeker which makes the contact details section a fundamental part of your resume. Although simple, it’s crucial to execute this section correctly.
Be sure to include these vital details clearly at the top of your resume, and be economical with the space you use:
- Your name and professional title: Adapt the title (e.g. Marketing Asssitant or Junior IT Manager) to suit the roles you’re aiming for.
- Email address: Use a professional-sounding email (e.g. shane-smith@gmail.com) and steer clear of nicknames or informal tags (e.g., shanzeybwoySmitho200@gmail.com).
- Phone number: Provide your mobile number for direct contact. Double-check to ensure it’s correct.
- Location: Include the general area you are targeting for work, such as Canberra, Brisbane.
You might also consider adding these optional details:
- Webpage links: Connect to a professional online presence such as a LinkedIn profile or a personal portfolio, making sure they are properly maintained and professional.
- Photograph: In creative sectors, a professional photo can be helpful, though it should not dominate your resume’s layout.
It’s advisable to omit personal information such as your date of birth, full home address, or gender from your resume as these do not enhance your job application and occupy precious space.
Cook Resume Summary
Your resume summary is a short introductory paragraph at the top of the page, designed to give recruiters a high-level overview of your suitability.
If you want to hook recruiters attention and encourage them to read more of your resume, do the following:
- Keep it short: Keep your resume summary succinct with 3 to 5 sentences. This allows hiring managers to grasp your key points rapidly, reserving more in-depth information for the work experience section.
- Tailor to target jobs: Fill your summary with as many keywords from the job adverts you are targeting as possible. This will ensure recruiters instantly see your suitability.
- Avoid using cliches: Thinking about calling yourself a “hard working team player who thinks outside the box“? Don’t! These phrases are meaningless and don’t provide employers with the facts they want.
Cook resume summary example
What to include in your Cook resume summary
- Summary of your experience: What kind of companies have you worked for? What types of jobs have you done? Give employers a clear picture of your experience.
- Relevant skills: Demonstrate your suitability for Cook positions by emphasising your most relevant skills for the role.
- Qualifications: Add a brief mention of any qualifications that are relevant to Cook jobs, to show that you are qualified for the role.
- Benefits of hiring you: Why should a employer hire you? Will you save them money? Improve their productivity? Or get them more customers?
Quick tip: Choose from hundreds of pre-written summaries across all industries, and add one to your resume with one-click in our Resume Builder. All written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset and style.
Core skills section
Enhance the impact of your resume by adding a section for core skills.
List your key skills that are highly valued in Cook jobs in bullet points and keep each item concise – no more than four words – to quickly draw the attention of busy hiring managers.
Skills for your Cook resume
Knife Handling – Mastery in the use of various knives for chopping, slicing, dicing, and carving to prepare ingredients efficiently and safely.
Food Safety Compliance – Ensuring all food preparation and cooking processes meet health and safety regulations to prevent foodborne illnesses.
Menu Creation – Designing innovative and appealing menus that cater to the tastes and dietary requirements of customers, while considering cost and seasonality.
Cooking Techniques – Proficiency in a range of cooking methods, such as grilling, roasting, baking, frying, and sautéing, to achieve desired culinary outcomes.
Food Presentation – Artistic ability to present dishes in an aesthetically pleasing manner that enhances the dining experience.
Stock Control – Managing inventory of ingredients, including ordering, storage, and rotation, to minimise waste and cost.
Pastry and Baking – Crafting a variety of baked goods, from bread to pastries, utilising precise baking techniques and creative flair.
Butchery – Skilled in breaking down poultry, meat, and fish, ensuring minimal waste and proper cut selection for dishes.
Sauce Creation – Developing a repertoire of sauces and dressings that complement and enhance the flavour profiles of dishes.
Culinary Equipment Operation – Operating and maintaining a wide range of kitchen equipment, from stoves and ovens to mixers and food processors, ensuring efficiency and safety.
Quick tip: Our Resume Builder contains thousands of in-demand skills for every profession that can be added to your resume in seconds – saving you time and greatly improving your chances of landing job interviews and getting hired.
Work experience section
Your work experience section is your chance to show employers what value you can bring to them.
List your previous jobs in reverse chronological order, focusing on your last 3-5 years of experience.
Structuring your jobs
To make your responsibilities clear to recruiters, present your previous jobs in the following format.
Outline
Introduce each job with a concise 1 to 2 line outline that covers the employer’s business, your role within the structure, and the key goals of your position.
Key responsibilities
List 5-8 bullet points detailing your main responsibilities within the job, highlighting important skills, knowledge and tools that you use.
Keep each point brief and show who you interact with, and how you contribute to the organisation.
Key achievements
Finish each role’s section with 1-3 standout achievements that positively influenced your employer.
Use concrete metrics to illustrate these successes, whether they involve enhancing efficiency, saving costs, or driving project advancements.
Example job for Cook resume
Outline
Work as one of six cooks at a small, independent Italian Restaurant, prepping and cooking traditional Italian cuisine for up to 90 covers per shift.
Key Responsibilities
- Prepare and store fresh ingredients ahead of the shift to maximise efficiency
- Follow recipes and utilise specialist techniques to make pasta, soups, salad dressings and salads
- Adhere to strict food hygiene regulations, regularly sanitising surfaces and date labelling food
- Cook certain elements of main menu dishes and assemble dishes at the final stage of cooking
Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our Resume Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.
Education section
Place your education section towards the end of your resume.
It should be formatted as a bullet-pointed list highlighting your qualifications and academic achievements, especially those pertinent to Cook roles.
Experienced candidates should keep this section concise, but if you have minimal experience you can elaborate on these qualifications to showcase your relevant skills and knowledge.
This section can include:
- University degrees
- Industry specific qualifications for Cook jobs
- Vocational education and training (VET) diplomas
- Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE)
Additional information (optional)
At the end of your resume, you can consider incorporating a section for additional information.
This part is suitable for hobbies, interests, awards, publications, or technical skills that could enhance your appeal to employers.
When adding content here, ensure it is either directly relevant to your profession or exceptionally impressive.
Avoid listing everyday activities like watching television or casual socialising, as they are unlikely to influence hiring decisions.
Constructing a compelling Cook resume requires effort, but by following the steps provided, you can assemble a resume that prompts replies from recruiters and generates multiple interviews.
Be sure to revise your resume carefully upon completion and tailor it for each application to confirm your alignment with the job requirements.
Good luck with your job search!